The old ranching town of Paso Robles, situated in the Santa Ynez Valley is surrounded by over 200 wineries in the rolling hills around the town.
We drove to the small town of San Miguel to visit the Mission which was founded in 1797.
It was rocked by an earthquake in 2003 but has been restored. However the inside of the church was never repainted and the original artwork can still be seen.
On our way back from the Mission we spotted a pumpkin patch among the wineries. Pumpkins are to be seen in all the towns - as decorations and on menus in some form or other.
We spent two nights in Paso Robles and then it was time to move on. We headed west and back to the Pacific Coast Highway. Visibility deteriorated so it took us longer to reach the coast.
View from car.
Our first stop was in the quaint town on Cambria. Everywhere we looked there were scarecrows and the town had a real "Hallowe'en" feel to it.
Hallowe'en window in Cambria.
We got back on Highway 1 and continued our drive to Big Sur. As we progressed north the views got more amazing and it is a stretch of road that has to be driven to be believed. The photos below give a hint of what the scenery was like.
This is just breathtakingly beautiful! I know from some of our own that the heat has been really high in California this autumn. It's probably a little cooler along by the sea but gosh it looks great!
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